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As he secured his jet-black tresses with the jade hairpin, the contours of his features appeared profoundly mesmerizing and strikingly handsome.

Bending low, Rong Shu gazed at this face now inches away. Her hand slowly descended to cradle his cheek, gently planting a fleeting kiss upon his lips like a butterfly touching water.

"Gu Yunzhi," she whispered softly, "I'll wait for you."

Gu Changjin was taken aback.

In the past, she had tearfully told him that she would no longer wait for him nor have feelings for him anymore.

Back then, he had begged her to wait, to wait for Yunzhi. But in the end, she passed away in his arms, unable to wait any longer.

In this lifetime, he had also asked her to wait for him, only to be met with a decisive refusal.

Gu Changjin remembered vividly: in the wine cellar beneath the walls of Yang Zhou City, she declared that she no longer liked him, longing only for a clean break.

Even a month ago, in the inn at the relay station, when he asked her to wait, she still didn't respond.

She said she couldn't.

In truth, Gu Changjin understood that at that time, she probably didn't know if her future self would be willing to give up the life she desired for him.

The moment he woke up in Qingyan Temple, he decided he would never make her wait for him again.

That three-year agreement, that imperial edict that bound her to his side through marriage, he vowed to no longer mention them.

Loving her was his affair; it shouldn't become a reason to restrict or pressure her.

But in this very moment, she said she would wait for him.

Wait for Gu Yunzhi.

How could Gu Changjin not understand that when she said "wait," she wasn't just referring to waiting for him in the tent that night?

His Adam's apple bobbed as he tried to find words to say, but then realized there was nothing that needed to be said.

A gentle smile began to spread across the man's dark eyes. As long as she was willing to take this small step towards him, he would never let her go for the rest of his life.

"Very well."

Outside the tent, Mu Rong remained in silence for a long while, yet he could faintly hear voices from within. Uncertain whether to wait or return later, he was caught in a dilemma.

Just then, the tent flap rustled, and an elongated figure emerged.

Promptly, Mu Rong bowed and said, "Your Highness, my spy in the Tatar court has sent a confidential report, stating that there has been a shift in the Tatar royal palace."

With that, he took out an opened letter from his sleeve.

Gu Changjin stepped forward to receive the letter, suggesting, "Let's discuss this elsewhere."

Mu Rong's expression froze for a moment.

In the past, whenever he had something to report, the Crown Prince would summon him into the tent to speak.

He glanced at the tent unobtrusively.

There was someone inside, but the Crown Prince did not wish for him to enter.

If he was being guarded so closely, who could the person inside possibly be?

Mu Rong concealed the complexity in his eyes and said, "Your Highness, please follow me."

As she heard the sound of their departing footsteps, Rong Shu secretly exhaled in relief. Her current state was indeed not suitable for others to see.

Recalling their intimacy just now, her ears began to flush, and she subconsciously touched her slightly swollen lips.

It was entirely different from that kiss on New Year's Eve, which he had placed on her lips without any desire.

The way he had held her lips was like a dog holding onto meat, as if he couldn't wait to devour her alive. There was no trace of his usual composure.

Not just her lips, but other parts of her body had also suffered.

Rong Shu rubbed her chest and looked around. In a corner, she noticed a small copper mirror on a table. She hurried over to retrieve it and checked her neck. Seeing no marks, she finally relaxed.

She mustn't let her mother, Yingyue, or Ying Que see anything.

Putting down the copper mirror, Rong Shu then examined the tent more closely. Her gaze paused when it landed on the calligraphy brush that had fallen by the desk leg.

She raised an eyebrow and went forward to pick up the wolf-hair brush.

The wolf-hair brush still held ink, suggesting it had recently fallen from the desk, leaving patches of sticky ink scattered on the floor.

Rong Shu placed the brush back on the desk and lowered her gaze, noticing the letterpaper spread out before her.

On it were only six characters—

Zhaozhao, seeing these words is like seeing you.

Suddenly, Rong Shu understood. After she left with the soup bowl, he had intended to write her a letter. If nothing unexpected happened, he would have given it to her when he departed the next day.

But then he must have noticed her standing outside the tent, unwilling to leave, causing him to hastily abandon his pen and go in search of her.

In his haste, he was unaware that the brush had fallen to the ground.

What did he want to tell her?

To wait for him a little longer, or that she needn't wait at all?

Most likely, it was the latter.

He was afraid that everything he did for her might become a burden to her, that's why he told her not to wait.

How foolish.

Whether or not she waited was her own decision; why should he make it for her?

Rong Shu bit her lip and picked up the pen, adding the word "fool" to the letter.

The ink on the "fool" was still fresh when Gu Changjin returned.

Rong Shu was studying a map when she noticed his swift return. She was slightly surprised and asked, "All done? What did Brother Mu want?"

Gu Changjin acknowledged with a "hum." "It was a secret report from a spy. General Mu was uncertain about the truth of the matters mentioned in it, so he sought me out for consultation."

Rong Shu didn't wish to pry into military affairs, so she nodded gently and changed the subject.

"Stay here tomorrow, give me one day. The day after tomorrow, we'll return to the capital together," she said, taking a sachet from her waist and holding out Gu Changjin's hand. "This is your reward for waiting a day for me."

Yingyue had made this sachet for her. Ideally, she should have given him something made by her own hands, but she had nothing else to offer him, so she settled for this sachet as a token.

Gu Changjin lowered his gaze upon her.

Ever since she had sobbed and scolded him as "despicable," he had guessed that she had made up her mind to accompany him back to the capital.

"Zhaozhao, if you wish, you don't have to come with me to the capital," he said gently. "I will take care of everything in the capital and then come to fetch you personally. You can wait for me here in Datong while managing your horse ranch."

"The reason I wanted to establish a horse ranch was to prepare for the worst, thinking that if the epidemic of horse plague next year could not be avoided, the horses on the ranch could serve as a rescue. But since you've assured me that the epidemic won't happen next year, there's no urgency in the matter of the horse ranch."